


Andromeda

by harmony88



Series: Forever With You [23]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Angst, F/M, Parallel Universes, Romance, Sex, Surprises
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-16 16:07:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28584711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harmony88/pseuds/harmony88
Summary: COMPLETEThe Doctor decides to take Rose to Andromeda to watch the birth of a supernova for their delayed honeymoon.It doesn't go well, and the Doctor faces one of his biggest fears-  the parallel universe.“What’s gotten into you?” she asked, laughing at him. He just smiled at her, a little more genuinely than he had been.“It’s our honeymoon!” he said simply, and she felt her heart flutter.“Oh, is it? Strange, nobody told me...Think I would’ve remembered that…” she said, rolling her eyes at him.***Part of the Forever With You Series, definitely recommend reading the others first, this is a big plot point ***
Relationships: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler
Series: Forever With You [23]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2030980
Comments: 6
Kudos: 127





	1. Supernovas

He was running around the console, chatting her ear off about all the things he would show her the moment they reached Andromeda, a planet that creates a new supernova every 612 years, and he wanted her to watch the birth of the one. She was smiling, his eagerness intoxicating as he twisted knobs and ran his hand through his hair, remembering the ice cream they’ll be able to get as well, and she found herself drawn to him like a magnet, her eyes following him everywhere he went. 

She was, truthfully, more captivated by the movement of his lips more than the words he was saying. This happy lecture had been going on for seven minutes, give or take, and her mind was starting to wander, wondering if he knew how stupidly, ridiculously attractive she finds everything he does...

“Rose?” he eventually asked, sensing she had started to tune him out. She sat up straight and smiled at him, her fingers sliding off her hoop earrings. 

“Yeah?” she asked, and he just grinned. 

“You were staring at me,” he said smugly, and she just rolled her eyes. 

“Was not,” she said, which made him grin more and move to her. 

“You were, you think I’m foxy,” he said. It wasn’t flirtatious, it was pure play. The classic Doctor was standing before her, clearly in a boisterous mood, so very excited for this trip. She just groaned and ruffled his hair, and rather than scoffing like she thought he would he ruffled hers back, grinning madly at her. 

“What’s gotten into you?” she asked, laughing at him. He just smiled at her, a little more genuinely than he had been. 

“It’s our honeymoon!” he said simply, and she felt her heart flutter. 

“Oh, is it? Strange, nobody told me...Think I would’ve remembered that…” she said, rolling her eyes at him. 

“It’s a surprise honeymoon, Rose Tyler,” he said, and suddenly his tone was much more serious. “We never took one before. And...well...things could have gone better on your birthday trip.” 

“I don’t want to talk about that,” she said softly, and he just nodded. 

“No, I know, I just...I wanted us to have some fun. What do you say?” he asked, pushing aside any discomfort that could circle around them and instead focused on his excitement, and his love for her, and she just smiled at him. 

“I’d love it,” she said, and with a sound of content he kissed the top of her head and moved back to the console, pulling the lever until the spin of time beneath their feet halted, and he ran to the door. 

“Allons-y, Rose Tyler,” he said, and smiled when her hand slipped into his, pushing the blue doors open. 

There were zeppelins in the sky. 

The Doctor and Rose both froze, looking up at the blimp-like ships with creased brows, and Rose felt her breath catch in her throat. 

“That’s impossible,” the Doctor said, no longer smiling. His voice was low and dark, and when Rose looked at him she saw his wheels turning rapidly. She bit her lip. 

“We should go,” she whispered. He turned around without a second thought and tried to open the door, but it was locked. 

“No, no, no, not _now_ ,” he growled, banging his hand against the wood. “Damn it!” 

She grabbed his hand again and gave it a squeeze, her eyes tracing his face as he turned and looked at her. “She won’t let you in?” she asked. He just shook his head, and Rose knew that meant whatever had happened had wiped the old girl out, and she needed to rest. He groaned and pressed his forehead against the doors, when suddenly they both felt a gush of wind hit their faces. Rose’s stomach dropped as she looked around for the first time, and saw they were very clearly on a beach. 

She recognized a rock in the middle of the water. Dårlig Ulv Stranden. 

“Oh, my god…” she whispered. The Doctor noticed it, too, and he felt a panic attack begin to brew inside of him. He turned back to the TARDIS and banged on the doors again. 

“THIS ISN'T FUNNY!” he shouted at their ship, and he ran his hands through his hair again. Rose was still staring at the rock, the wind whipping her hair around her face, and the Doctor clenched his jaw, trying to ignore the memory of the potential timeline that had haunted his dreams. 

“We have to move,” she said. “We can’t stay here.” 

“We shouldn’t even _be here_ ,” he snapped, and she turned to him. 

“Look at me,” she said. “We’re together this time. I don’t care about the rest of it.” He stared at her, and sighed. He found himself reaching for her, pulling her into a desperate hug, and she closed her eyes, the feel of his hearts pounding beneath her jumper. “Nothing we can do now, right? She’s locking us out, which tells me we’re supposed to be here. So let’s just walk. See what we find. Hold on tight.” 

He felt his throat tighten and knew he was being selfish again. She was probably terrified as well, and even though everything inside of him was screaming that this was the worst thing that could have happened, and the devil on his shoulder was currently dominating his every thought, he just nodded, and felt her hand hold his, pulling him along beside her. 

“It’s just sand,” he said after a few minutes. “A lot of bloody sand.” 

“There’s an inn nearby,” she whispered. “Maybe we can...I dunno get a room or something while the TARDIS recovers. We stayed there when...you called me.” 

He looked at her, realizing she’d never told him her side of the story from that day. All he knew was she got his transmission and he found her on this beach, about two hundred meters from where they were standing now. 

He realized she’d never told him anything about her time here. Two years, and he never thought to ask, too relieved that she was back. He felt his throat tighten and stopped walking, staring at her. “Are you alright?” he asked. She looked at him, and flashed him a smile. 

He could tell she meant it. 

“You’re here. With me. I...honestly, Doctor, I don’t care about anything else right now. I’m choosing to just trust we’re supposed to be here,” she said. “Timelines.” 

“Timelines,” he repeated, and felt his own pulse start to even back out. “Right.” 

“Come on,” she whispered, and gestured with her head toward a dock off to the right. He swallowed hard and walked with her, looking back up at the zeppelins. 

His mind was racing, and both of them were keeping their blocks up, trying to situate everything within themselves before they mucked anything up further. Rose stayed silent as they walked up the stairs to the pier. He noticed a few cars parked in the lot and people walking around, some off-leash dog barked while it chased seagulls… 

It felt, without a doubt, peaceful. 

He hated that. 

He gripped Rose’s hand tighter, his nerves still a jumble as they walked along the cobblestone path to the small inn. It was seafoam green on the outside, and Rose took a breath to steady herself as she led him through the white door, the jingle of a bell welcoming them inside. 

An elderly woman was sitting behind the counter, reading a newspaper. She looked up when she saw them and smiled. “Hello,” she said. “How can I help you?” 

“Hello,” Rose said. The Doctor looked at the ground, his jaw clenching so hard he was beginning to grind his teeth. “Do you have a room available?” 

“Of course,” the woman said, “how many nights?” 

“Um...Let’s start with one,” Rose said, glancing at the Doctor. She gave the woman her name and info, and she handed them a room key, which Rose took gingerly, faking a smile. 

“Thank you,” she said, and bit her lip. “This might seem like a crazy question, but...it’s been a crazy day. What year is it?” 

The woman just laughed, but she quickly stopped when she realized Rose was serious. “It’s 2050, lovie.” 

“Thank you,” Rose said. The Doctor was still tense, and she grabbed his hand, pulling him toward the elevator. “Come on.” 

“Yep,” he managed to say, and she sighed. 

“Want some coffee?” she asked, gesturing to the concessions stand by the desk. He just shook his head and she bit her lip, and they moved to the lift, finding themselves in a small room with a double bed a few minutes later, the smell of the ocean wafting through the windows. Neither spoke, but Rose noticed they could see the TARDIS from where they were and it comforted her. She moved to the bed, staring at the water as the Doctor sat across from her in a rather uncomfortable chair. They watched in silence for a moment, before Rose finally said what was on her mind. “I don’t hate this place, Doctor.” 

“What?” he asked, her words sending a shockwave right between his hearts. 

“Not the beach, I mean,” she whispered. “I hate this world, I guess...but honestly...even it wasn’t that bad. I hated it because you weren’t here. I would hate anywhere you weren’t. But I just...I can’t hate that beach.” 

He just looked at her, unable to speak. Her hand came up to the window and she watched the crash of the water on the rocks, and she smiled. “This is the spot in the universe that led me back to you.” 

He felt his stomach flip over, and he just shook his head, a faint smile tugging at his lips. He pulled her to him, hugging her, and she smiled as his Christmas scent filled her lungs. He still wasn’t able to speak, and he pulled back, linking her hand in his. “We’ll just wait for the TARDIS to feel better and then we’ll leave and close the rift. Yeah?” 

“Yeah,” the Doctor said, and he moved to the bed to lay down. She decided to look around the room, taking in the art and the wallpaper, and took her shoes off. She flipped the telly on and laid down beside him, channel surfing as his mind wandered. 

He was thinking of a lot of things, but he had never thought about this place in the way Rose just described. This is where he lost her. He never considered it’s also where he found her. He felt guilty again, and selfish, for only looking at his side of it all. It was jostling his mind, because he truly, truly despised this world. And Rose, his perfect, pink, yellow and gold human just grinned and bore his hatred of this place for two years, and he didn’t know how to feel. 

His impossible human. 

He didn’t speak much. Rose understood why, but she found herself glancing over at him every few minutes, trying to see if he had shifted his position on the bed or if his face had softened at all, but it didn’t happen. She wanted to ask him to open his mind, she wanted to say she would help him think and be there for him, but she knew if he wanted that he would ask. 

He needed to get through this on his own, and she had to just...let him. 

Her own mind was thinking about how predetermined it all seemed. Destiny, really, that on their last trip they protected their timeline and she told him she’d follow him anywhere, even parallel worlds, and here they are. 

It was that single thought that was giving her hope. This was part of everything. This big, crazy, insane chess game they’re playing with the universe. It had to be. She couldn’t tell if he had put those pieces together yet or not, and she flipped the channel again, turning on the news just so there would be some background noise as she got up to take a shower. 

What they saw on the screen though, made them both stop everything they were doing and stare. 

“Is that…” Rose began. 

“Yeah,” the Doctor said. 

Behind a news reporter in London talking about the stock market was Michelle Ridgemont and a man, laughing and crossing the street. They watched them get in a cab and drive off, and Rose leaned against the wall. 

“Call a cab,” the Doctor said suddenly. “We need to go to London.” 

Rose just looked at him. “You want to leave the TARDIS?” she asked. He frowned, his irritation boiling inside of him. Not at her, but at this entire situation, and he just nodded. 

“If Michelle is here, that means this must be when she learns about the blood deposits. Maybe it’s when she gets the idea for the Sidekick, I dunno. What I do know is we have a chance to see how this all began. Maybe fill in some of the blanks,” he said seriously. Rose gulped and moved to the drawer by the bed, pulling out a phonebook and flipping through, calling the first cab company she could find. 

“They’ll be here in twenty minutes,” she said as she hung the room’s phone back up. The Doctor just nodded, staring at the TARDIS, and Rose moved behind him, rubbing his shoulders. 

“We’ll have to take an airplane,” he said bitterly. Rose just nodded. 

“Will she be alright?” she asked. The Doctor sighed and ran his hand over his face, pressing his head against her chest. 

“Yes,” he whispered. “I won’t know exactly what happened till we can get back inside, but she’s not on fire or making any noises so she’ll recover without needing fuel. She may be perfectly fine for all I know and just won’t let us in.” 

“Sounds like her, making sure we follow the timeline...” Rose whispered. He perked up a little at that thought. He had meant it as a joke, albeit a bad one, but she pressed her lips to his forehead and he sighed. He didn’t say anything, and even though his blocks were up, Rose could still feel his increased heart rate and she could sense a little bit of his dread. She moved back to the bed to face him, and linked their hands together. “Look at me,” she began. “We get in this cab and we go to the airport. We go to London. We take it from there, okay?” 

“Okay,” he said. 

“Okay,” she whispered. She stared at him, and let out a breath of relief when he began to trace circles on her hands. “Promise me something?” 

“Anything,” he murmured, his eyes locked with hers as the waves crashed around the rocks. 

“We don’t split up. We stay together. We keep our minds open and we react to what we see. We don’t jump ahead of ourselves or let our fears guide us, yeah?” she said. He smirked at her. 

“You mean _I_ don’t let my fear guide _me,_ right?” he asked. She shook her head. 

“No. I mean both of us,” she whispered, and he pulled her hands to his lips, kissing them. 

“We don’t split up,” he repeated. “We stay together. We keep our minds open and we react to what we see. We don’t jump ahead of ourselves or let our fears guide us.” 

“Right,” she said. He smiled a little at her, and took a deep breath. 

“Can I add something?” he asked. She nodded. 

“We listen to your Instincts. We hold on tight,” he said. 

“Hold on very tight,” she murmured, and her lips found his. Her hands snaked their way into his hair and he gripped her waist. They lingered there a moment longer before pulling away. “One more thing…” 

“What?” he asked. 

“I love you,” she said, and he kissed her again. 

“I love you, Rose.” 

A few minutes later they got a call from the front desk that their cab was there and they moved downstairs, thanking the old woman and checking out (much to her confusion) before running out and heading straight for the airport. 

All of it, the Doctor thought upon arrival, was highly inconvenient. 

He hadn’t flown on a plane in...a very long time. One of the perks of having your own time machine. He rarely drove and he rarely flew. But as they stepped out of the cab, the Doctor muttering about how the TARDIS managed to line his suit with psychic paper passports and Norwegian currency but couldn’t bother to open her doors, he was immediately reminded how much he detests airports. 

Loathes them, in fact. He made sure Rose knew this. 

“They’re not that bad,” she said as they stood in line to buy a ticket to London. He just gave her a look and a baby suddenly threw up on the floor to their left, and Rose burst out laughing. “Point taken.” 

He just took a breath as the line moved forward and looked around, his irritation reaching tip top levels. Rose ran a hand over his arm. “Think of it as a new adventure. This was supposed to be our honeymoon...this part feels very much like how most Earth honeymoons begin.” 

“Ha-ha,” he said sarcastically, and she kissed his shoulder. 

They reached the front of the line, and the Doctor spoke perfect Norwegian with the teller, managing to get his hands on two tickets that would depart in three hours. They walked through security, the Doctor too frustrated to appreciate Rose in her tank top as she took her jumper off with the metal zippers, and he was muttering again about his shoes. 

Their sonic screwdrivers, thankfully, didn’t set off the alarms, and they found themselves among the hustle and bustle of people running late to their flights as they stood in the middle of the food court. 

“You...hungry?” he asked. Rose just sighed. 

“Not really. But shit day means we get chips, yeah?” she asked, and he couldn’t help but smile a little, kissing her head. 

“Allons-y,” he told her, and a few minutes later they were eating a fast food version of Rose’s favorite snack in silence at a metal table. The Doctor told her they technically didn’t count as chips, seeing as they were filled with preservatives more so than potatoes, and she just rolled her eyes, shoving four in her mouth at once. He smiled a little at her, and she was watching him carefully. 

He was silent again, this time for many minutes. 

“Talk to me?” she asked. He was still keeping all of his blocks up, but she could once again feel his increased heart rate and the hum in her head was...loud. He was thinking and he was thinking hard. He just sighed. 

“I’m...processing,” he said. “But you’re right.” 

“About?” she asked, chewing on a chip. He linked their hands together and looked at her. 

“We’re together. The rest of it...doesn’t matter,” he said. “I just… I’ve feared this for a long time, Rose.” 

“I know,” she whispered. “I really do.” 

He leaned back in the seat, breathing deeply. She watched, and neither spoke again for a moment. “Last time you were on an airplane?” Rose asked. He rolled his eyes. 

“Oh...three regenerations ago?” he muttered. She swallowed and smiled at him. 

“You’re nervous!” she said suddenly, and he just made a face, shaking his head at her. 

“No I’m not,” he said. She smiled wider. 

“Yes, you are,” she said again, purposely using her deductive face in hopes he would smile, but he just sighed, giving her an exasperated look. 

“Can’t I have any secrets?” he asked, and she just looked at him carefully, a playfulness in her eyes as she stole one of his chips, having already finished her own. 

“Let’s see...Four years, three bonds, and two marriages later...I’m gonna go with...no,” she said with a wink, and he finally laughed. 

“Fair enough,” he said, and ran his hands through his hair. “I don’t like it when I’m not in...control of something flying. Plus, we’re wasting time. Michelle is, at this very moment, possibly figuring things out... Makes me...well...” 

“Never pegged you for a fear of heights,” she teased, and he just looked at her seriously. 

“No, it’s not the height, it’s -” he began, but Rose squeezed his hand. 

“I know,” she said. “Teasing you.” 

“I know,” he said with a smile. It was a genuine one, the first one in hours, and Rose found it filled her soul with joy. “Come on, we should get to the gate.” 

“Okay,” she said, and let him lead her through the airport. It all felt so simple. So domestic. So easy and everyday. Like there was nothing at all wrong in the universe. It made the Doctor cringe. Rose just tried to stay in the here and now, taking everything one step at a time. 

The plane wasn't too crowded, much to the Doctor’s relief. They had the row to themselves, and Rose leaned her head on his shoulder as they took off. He kept his eyes closed, and she found herself nibbling on her lip, trying to think of a way to make this easier on him. They felt the ascent even out, a sensation that felt a little like the TARDIS arriving at a destination, and she sighed. 

“10 questions?” she asked. He looked at her, opening one eye as he held her hand. He nodded. 

“Okay,” he said. The seatbelt sign turned off and Rose reached for hers, hoping to be able to sprawl out a little, but the Doctor shook his head. “Can you...I’m sorry...keep it on? I’ll feel better.” 

“Sure,” she said, and leaned her head back against the seat. “You wanna go first?” 

“No,” he said with a small laugh. Rose bit her lip. 

“Can your big Time Lord brain explain why we can’t take a zeppelin to London?” she asked, hoping it would cause a distraction. It worked. 

“Ah,” he said, rubbing his hand against her thigh. “Fuel. Zeppelins are fantastic for short distances, but airplanes are a far better choice for trips like this.” 

“Makes sense,” Rose said. “Your turn.” 

He just looked at her. He debated about deflecting, asking her what movie she wants to watch when they get back to the TARDIS, but he didn’t. “Where were you? When you, um…” 

“What?” she asked. He sighed. 

“When you got my message,” he whispered. “I’m sorry. I’ve never asked. Rose..I…” 

“Oh, no it’s okay,” Rose said. “I didn’t exactly want to remember any of it either.” He just looked at her, and she kissed his shoulder. “ I was asleep. At Pete’s old house.” He nodded, and his eyes began to trace the pictures on the panel above them. The no smoking sign, the lights, the AC filters, the spot where the oxygen masks were... Rose noticed and squeezed his hand. “Do you...I mean, do you want to know more? Is that why you’re asking?” 

He didn’t say anything and Rose eventually closed her eyes, wondering if she might be able to get some sleep. A drink cart came by and he got them each some ginger sodas, hoping it might settle his stomach, and he turned to her slowly. “Did you have a job?” 

She nodded, surprised he was asking, and she sipped her drink. “Torchwood.” 

“What?” he asked, a wide smile crossing his face. “You never told me that.” 

“You never asked,” she said with a small smile. “I was looking for you, too.” 

He felt his hearts stop. His breath left his body and he just stared at her. She took another sip of her soda, and he remembered his mother’s words. 

_There were versions of the timeline where she found you instead. Those had a...bittersweet ending. And some had a very sad ending._

He made the right choice. 

“Come here,” he whispered, a sprinkle of hope lining his soul. His heartbeat began again when her head touched his shoulder. “I love you.” 

“I love you, too,” she whispered. “I only took part in one mission. We were only here for a few months, you know.” 

“I do,” he said, and his smile was genuine again as she kissed his hand. “What was the mission?” 

“Gremlins,” she said. His mouth fell open and she just started laughing. “Dead serious. Those little green electrical things from some star or something, right?” 

“A nebula, yeah. The Grimm Star,” he said, looking at her with pure love in his eyes. She laughed. 

“Right, that. They were trying to invade the testing machines at a high school. We had to go and pull them out and teleport them back home,” she said with a shrug. 

“Did it work?” he asked. She nodded. 

“It did. My idea,” she said. She was looking at their wedding rings, and the Doctor smiled at her. “I remembered what you said once about how electrical beings simply feed off whatever has the strongest currents. They just needed a bigger meal.” 

“Rose Tyler, Defender of the Earth,” he murmured, and he kissed her. “Never needed me.” 

“Shut up,” she said, a smile on her face. “Of course I need you.” 

“I need you, too,” he whispered. She kissed him again and settled into the seat. 

“She can’t see us,” Rose said. The Doctor nodded. 

“We can’t stop her,” he said. “We have to be flies on the wall.” 

“That’s...different,” she whispered. He closed his eyes. 

“I think it's…” he said, but he broke off. 

“What?” Rose asked. 

“Good,” he said, and shook his head at the absurdity of the thought. “Timelines.” 

She smiled, relieved he was looking at it that way too, even if it was just a little bit, and they closed their eyes, letting themselves rest for the remainder of the flight.


	2. Void Corps

A parallel London in a parallel 2050 meant the Doctor was a little...turned around. 

Rose knew this world, however, and as he looked up and saw the zeppelins still floating above their heads, Rose’s brain was spinning with wibbly, wobbly, timey-wimey stuff… 

Remembering. 

She grabbed his hand and began to move forward, led by memories and Instincts, and the Doctor just watched, taking in their surroundings carefully. 

“She must have met with a robotics company or something here,” he said. Rose nodded. 

“Cybus Industries?” Rose asked. The Doctor shook his head. 

“They’re gone by now…” he murmured. “I...made sure of it.” Rose just looked at him, fully aware he was telling her he went back and wiped them out before the rift closed. After he got her back. She sighed. 

“Well, something has clearly taken their place. Look,” she said, and they both noticed the advanced mobile phones and motorized bicycles that people were riding. The Doctor looked up, where communication boxes and wires were buzzing above their heads. Rose continued to absorb more information as some people held metal coffee cups in their hands with the letters VC on them as they rushed toward the zeppelin docks. Others were using a holographic watch to predict their traffic patterns, and she looked at the Doctor. “I bet the internet would know.” 

“Don’t need it,” the Doctor said. “Look.” 

She followed his gaze, and on a digital billboard sat the stock market numbers, the same one the reporter had been discussing. At the top was a single company - VoidCorps. They both frowned. “That’s...ominous,” Rose said, and the Doctor just sniffed and looked around, hailing another cab. 

They were outside VoidCorps headquarters in ten minutes, and they both began to deduct. 

“Think with me?” the Doctor asked, and for the first time since they arrived here, he nudged his mind to hers. 

It was like a breath of fresh air. 

_We don’t have our bio-dampers or any disguises,_ Rose said. 

_That’s okay, they haven’t met us, we just have to make sure Michelle doesn’t see us._

_What are you thinking? We just try to walk in?_

_I’ve got psychic paper. Maybe I can cause a distraction?_

_And I can try to sneak around?_

_Think you can?_

_Yes._

They smiled at each other, and the Doctor moved forward. Rose grabbed his arm, her Instincts kicking in for a moment, and they waited until a delivery man arrived with lots and lots of boxes. 

_Have fun,_ she told him with a wink, and pushed him forward. 

He started to put on a show, claiming the delivery man had dropped something outside and then spoke to the receptionist, talking about some sports team as Rose crawled through the door and hid behind the boxes. The Doctor had the receptionist howling with laughter, and he pulled out his psychic paper to show the man some ‘picture’ of him with one of the players they were talking about, and at the point she saw his sonic screwdriver aim behind him, resting by his hip, and he severed the security camera. 

Rose kept her head down as she moved to the stairs and slid through the door, just as the delivery man came back. 

She ran up the stairs quickly, and could still hear the Doctor talking in her mind. 

_I’m in._

_Coming._

She was tucked in a door jamb, completely unsure of where to go or what to do, and she could hear the Doctor coming up the stairs, too. “Sorry we had to split for a second,” she whispered as he joined her. He just shook his head. 

“It’s okay,” he whispered. “Anything?” 

“No…” Rose said. “But...I think I want to get to the security room. You just severed the lobby camera right?” 

He nodded, and their eyes were deducting just as their minds worked together, coming up with a plan to get across the floor to the door Rose’s Instincts were telling here they needed to get to. 

“Let’s just...see what happens,” he whispered with a wink, and he walked in, acting as if he knew exactly where he was going. Rose bit her lip and did the same, letting out a sigh of relief when everyone was so glued to their screens no one even looked up. He pretended to get water from the cooler as one man happened to notice them, but he returned to his work quickly, and Rose soniced the door open. 

“Come on,” she said, and they slipped inside. It was another set of stairs, and the Doctor looked at her. 

“Up or down?” he asked. 

“Um...down, I think,” she said, and they moved together, trying to stay quiet, holding hands, until they reached a den. 

Someone was already there, probably the security guard, sitting in a swivel chair. Rose looked at the Doctor. 

_Electrical pulsation?_

_After you, Rose Tyler._

She moved swiftly and he got his sonic ready. She spun the chair, and they both dropped their screwdrivers on the ground. 

“Rose?!” the voice of Mickey Smith asked, completely stunned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had to keep him a surprise! :)


	3. Fill in the Blanks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is long, but I couldn't break it up. Too many things happen!

“Mickey?!” she gasped, and he stood and threw his arms around her. The Doctor just smiled, and Rose pulled away after a moment, her hands still holding onto Mickey’s arms. 

“What are you -” he began to say. 

“How -” she asked, and the both started to laugh. The room was dark and only the light from the screens reflected onto their faces, but she noticed he had a bit of a beard and his hair was a little longer than it was when she had last seen him, tucked into a black beanie. He was wearing a security guard outfit, and for the first time he looked around the room, spotting the Doctor. 

“Ohhh no way!” he said. 

“Mickey the Idiot!” he said with a grin, and they clapped each other in a hug. 

“What the hell are you two doing here?” he asked. 

“It’s a….long story. We’re tracking someone,” Rose said. “What about you?!” 

“Torchwood sent me. Used a time jumper - been undercover for a month. Here, Jake’s in my earpiece if you want to say hi,” he said, turning his ear toward Rose. 

“Hi Jake!” she said, and Mickey smiled. 

“Bloody hell, it’s good to see you both,” he said, pulling Rose back into a hug. “Wait, are you alright?! You can’t be here, thought he closed the rifts -” 

“We just sort of fell in again,” Rose said. “We’re trying to see what Michelle Ridgemont is up to.” 

“Oh, I should have guessed. Of course you two are on this,” he asked. “We got a report of a breach in the Void and have been trying to figure it out for weeks. Led us here, and her name popped up for us, too.” 

“You can’t do anything that interferes with what she’s doing here, Mickey,” the Doctor said seriously. “It’ll cross our timeline.” 

He just looked at the Doctor, and then back at the monitor. “So...what? I’m just supposed to tell my team to leave it alone?” 

“Well...yes,” the Doctor said. “But you can help us close the rift again, if you want.” 

“What’s going on, what’re you not telling me?” Mickey asked, forever smarter than people gave him credit for. Rose bit her lip. 

“How much time have you got?” she asked, a small smile on her face. Mickey just looked at her, and she took a deep breath. “All we can really say, Mickey, is that we meet Michelle six years from now in our world. And we stop her, but because of that we can’t risk undoing what happens then by interfering now. We’re just here to figure out exactly what she knew before she...well, she dies. At least...we’re pretty sure that’s why we’re here.” 

“What, you don’t even know?” he scoffed, and he looked at the Doctor. “You just dragged her back to this place without a plan? Typical Doctor, always - ?” 

The Doctor’s face darkened against the light of the screens and he took a step forward. “Now, wait a minute -” 

“Doctor, stop,” Rose said, sensing the testosterone in the room and mentally gagging. “Mickey, shut it. We’re married.” 

She never thought she’d get to tell him this, and her heart skipped a beat. She also never imagined, if she did, it would go quite like this. 

He stared at her, and she held up her ring. His eyes flickered to it, and she just took a breath. “We’re...we’re sort of trying to solve a really, really big mystery that has something to do with..us. I can’t explain it, it’ll take way too long, but he didn’t drag me here. This was supposed to happen.” 

“Married?” Mickey repeated, and Rose nodded. He looked at the Doctor. “You married her?” 

“I did,” he said. He almost added the word ‘twice’, but he didn’t. He had a little more class than that. Mickey swallowed and looked back at Rose. “How’d you get him to do that?” 

She just laughed, and he suddenly hugged her, squeezing tightly. “Trust me, it took a lot of convincing.” 

“That’s not, well...no, I wouldn’t say, I mean, _convincing_ makes it sound so -” he began, but Rose shot him a look. 

_Ex-boyfriend/best friend, Doctor. Be nice, yeah?_

He just smirked and shut up. 

“Well,” Mickey eventually said. “I can’t say I’m...surprised. Definitely never thought it would happen, but...congratulations.” 

“Thank you,” the Doctor said. “We miss you, Mickey.” 

He looked at him, and for a moment it seemed like he might give the Doctor some long lecture about taking care of Rose, but it didn’t happen. He knew he would, he always had. Instead he just nodded, and smiled at him. 

“I missed ya both, too,” he said. He paused for a moment, clearly getting yelled at by his team who had been able to hear his conversation with Rose and the Doctor, and his eyes darted over to her, who was staring at him intently. With a sigh, he pulled the earpiece out of his ear and stomped on it. “I'm always on your side, Rose. You know that.” 

“You’re going to get in trouble. Fired, probably,” she said warningly. 

“Don’t worry about that,” he said. “I’d rather be a tin dog right now. What do you need?” 

“Footage,” the Doctor said. “Anything Michelle sees, does, or says.” Mickey nodded and sat back down in the swivel chair. The Doctor and Rose moved to his side, and the Doctor cleared his throat. “Thank you.” 

“Don’t mention it,” he said quietly, and first checked to see if Michelle was currently in any of the rooms. They all seemed to come up empty and he went back through the archives, pulling up one from a few hours back, when Rose and the Doctor were still on the airplane. 

He shared a glance with his wife, who smirked as he cursed in Gallifreyan about the stupidity of domestic flights in her head. 

He grinned madly when he realized she understood every word. 

They watched the old feed as Michelle followed a man into a room. He was tall, with blonde hair, and he gestured to a seat by his desk. The Doctor watched with a stone face, and Michelle smiled at him as she took her seat. “Thank you for your help getting me here again.” 

“Of course,” the man said. “I missed you.” 

She smiled, and Rose noticed her hand linger in his for a moment. She narrowed her eyes. “My father is very anxious to hear what your technologies might be able to offer us. When I told him about you, he -,” she said. The man nodded and stood, interrupting her. 

“Would you like a drink?” he asked. Michelle politely declined, but the man poured himself one and sat back at his desk. Something caught Rose’s eye on the table behind him. 

“Oh, my god…” she whispered. “Doctor, the blueprint.” 

He narrowed his gaze and pressed his sonic, pausing the screen. “Can you enhance that?” he asked Mickey. 

“Not that kind of machine, Doctor,” he said.

“Here,” Rose said, whipping out her own sonic and causing the Doctor to grin at her. She pressed and was able to fix the pixelation, revealing the other half of the page in the Doctor’s desk. She just looked at him. “Oh, come on, you knew that.” 

“Yep,” he said. “And now I know you do, too.” 

They both grinned now, and Mickey just bit his tongue as he sat awkwardly between them, looking up at the screen. Some things, it seemed, never changed. 

“What is it?” he asked. 

“A clue,” the Doctor said. “One we need to get.” 

“Keep playing the video, yeah?” Rose asked, and the Doctor soniced the feed again, resuming the conversation. 

“So...have you thought more about our idea?” he said. Michelle smiled lovingly at him, and told him her plan for the Sidekick, and some of the additions she had in mind, like how it would be able to predict anything and everything. He just smiled. It was….wicked, Rose thought. No other way to really describe it. 

“Fascinating,” he whispered. “Reminds me a little of the Cyberman this world once used. Wonderful bots, able to aid in many ways….It can be done. I would use blood deposits.”

“I’m sorry,” Michelle said, laughing a little. “Did you just say _blood_ deposits?” 

“Yes,” the man said. “I’ve used them, though they can be tricky. I can provide you with some equipment that might be helpful.” 

“How does it work?” she asked. The man began to tap on his desk, explaining it all to her, a succession of beats with his knuckles. 

One. Two. Three. Four. 

One. Two. Three. Four. 

One. Two. Three. Four. 

The Doctor, as he watched this, froze. 

The man’s eyes flickered to the camera, just for a moment, and he looked right at them. 

“No…” the Doctor whispered. 

“What is it?” Rose asked. He didn’t say anything, but his eyes were glued to the screen. 

They watched the rest of the conversation, in which the man told Michelle where to get the vials and microchips in this world and the best way to craft a prototype. 

“I must warn you, my dear Michelle...That in your universe there are two people who will probably try and stop you,” the man said. “Their names are the Doctor and….oh, what is the girl..she’s blonde, his companion, he trades them in every few years it's so hard to keep up.” She smiled and laughed a little, and he leaned on the desk, taking her hand in his. “They destroyed the progress of the Cyberman, just be...careful,” he said. Rose’s eyes flickered to the Doctor, feeling his uneasiness. To his credit, he kept his mind open like they promised they would, but it was such a jumble of thoughts and emotions she couldn’t make any of it out. 

All she felt, more than anything, was anger. 

The video was almost over, and the man assured her he would see her again, and gave her a lingering kiss on the cheek. Rose deducted as Michelle said she was looking forward to it. 

They watched her leave, and the Doctor felt the room closing in around him. He wasn’t breathing, and Rose was watching him carefully, her eyes darting back to the screen just in time to see the man tap four more times on the desk with his knuckle, almost without thinking. He then looked at the camera fleetingly, and grabbed the blueprint. 

“For you,” he said, and left it in the middle of the desk. 

The Doctor bolted out the door. 

“Doctor!” Rose shouted, and she and Mickey ran after him. 

_Doctor!_ she said again in his mind. 

_I know him, Rose._

_Okay, who is he?_

_It’s complicated. I’ll tell you later, on the TARDIS, but I have to talk to him._

Rose glanced back at Mickey, who seemed unsurprised the Doctor wasn’t speaking as he ran through the halls. 

The people who had been working and staring at their screens jumped when the doors pounded open and the Doctor pushed through. Rose was still reaching out in her mind, but he was just telling her to follow him, and she eventually groaned and grabbed his arm when they were alone in another hallway. People were talking dizzyingly in the main office, and Mickey, still in his security uniform, walked back in and assured everyone to get back to work and he was handling it. 

“Slow down,” Rose said. “Take a breath.” 

“We don't have time,” he hissed. She just sighed. 

“He’s already talked to her. She’s already picking up the microchips and vials and making her way back to our world. It’s done. He clearly knows you, too, Doctor, and clearly knew we were there. You don’t have to run, he’s…” she whispered, her eyes locking with his and Mickey joined them. 

“He’s waiting for us,” he said. “For me.” Rose frowned. 

“If you’re about to tell me to stay behind, Doctor, I swear -” she began, but he pulled her into a hug. 

“I need you there. I might...it’ll be better if you’re there,” he whispered. Mickey watched with slightly wide eyes. In the two years he knew the Doctor, and granted that did feel like lifetimes ago, an exchange like this would never have happened. This open, vulnerable, honest conversation where he clung to Rose like she was his lifeline. 

“Can I do anything?” Mickey asked. The Doctor nodded. 

“The office, the one that man is in, where is it?” he asked. Mickey took the lead. 

“His name is Harold Saxon. He’s the CEO of VoidCops,” he said as they moved through the hall to a lift. 

“Of course he is,” the Doctor said. They rode the lift up to the fifth floor and moved quickly. They approached the office, and just to make sure the man knew who it was the Doctor knocked. 

Four times. 

The door didn’t open, and he pulled out his sonic screwdriver and let himself in. It was empty, minus the other half of the blueprint on the table. 

“It can’t be that easy,” Rose said, looking at her husband. He approached it with a stone face, and felt his stomach flip over. 

“He wants me to have it,” he whispered. Rose saw him clench his jaw and touch the page, and she was hit by his memory of him and a young boy running through Gallifrey, laughing and playing tag against the orange sunset. She felt wobbly when it ended, the force of emotion that coupled it quite strong, and Mickey helped her not fall. 

“Rose!” he said, and as Mickey was looking at her she was looking at the Doctor. His eyes said it all. 

This was his friend. 

“Doctor…” Rose whispered, and he just clenched his jaw. “Take it.” 

He stared at her for a moment, and with a deep breath he folded the paper up and put it in his pocket. 

_It's definitely a hibernation chamber._

His eyes were dark and Rose gave Mickey a squeeze, telling him she was okay. He released her and watched as she moved to the Doctor and placed her hand on his cheek. Another gesture, Mickey thought, he never would have allowed when he knew him. 

Her eyes swam in his, and the pounding of his hearts was raw and incessant. He looked at her, and eventually dropped his gaze to the floor. 

“Whatever is supposed to take place...will,” she whispered. “See? We’re supposed to be here.” 

He didn’t say anything, but he pulled her to him, and suddenly, much to Mickey’s confusion, he was smiling. 

Grinning, in fact, sort of madly. 

They were on the right path. 

He kissed her, a slightly forceful and brilliantly slobbery kiss, and Mickey averted his eyes at it. Rose wrapped her arms around his neck and he pulled away, a sudden burst of hope filling every fiber of his soul. 

“Let’s go,” he said, and grabbed her hand. 

The man was waiting for them at the end of the hall, and the Doctor stopped. Two minutes ago he would have started screaming, now he stood silently, waiting for him to speak first. 

“Doctor,” he said calmly. 

“Master,” he said. 

“I like it when you use my name,” he said. Rose looked at Mickey, and the Doctor just smiled. For a moment, he was happy. 

“You chose it,” he said. “Did you choose Harold, too?” 

Rose suddenly felt her mind spin, and she gripped Mickey’s arm. 

“What is it?” he asked quietly, but Rose just shook her head. 

“Michelle had a son. She named him Harold…” she whispered. 

The Doctor turned to her, and his face lined with understanding. Suddenly, the glee he felt vanished, replaced by something much more alarming. He clenched his jaw and turned to the Master. 

“What did you do to her?” he asked, suddenly in his angriest tone. Not yelling, very calculated. Rose watched and held Mickey’s arm. 

“Nothing. She’s in love with me,” the Master said. “How could she not be? She’s been coming here a lot, quite often in fact.” 

“And you have a child?” the Doctor said bitterly. The Master just laughed. 

“Of course,” he said. “How else could I ensure my...legacy.” 

The Doctor just stared at him, and Rose stepped forward, sensing the tipping point of his storm, and grabbed his hand. 

“What’s all this for? How’d you survive?” he asked. The Master just laughed. 

“Destiny,” he said coldly, and Rose felt a shiver run down her spine. In that moment she realized whatever friendship these two may have had as children had vanished. 

He was an enemy. 

The Doctor looked at her, and clenched his jaw. 

_Like I said. Complicated,_ he said. She just looked at the Master. 

“You were dead,” the Doctor said, following her gaze. 

“He brought me back,” the Master said. “But then I saw the war. I ran.” 

“Typical,” the Doctor spat. The Master just started to laugh. 

“What about _you_ , Doctor? Didn’t you do the same? Didn’t you run?” he said, a purr in his voice. 

“I FOUGHT,” the Doctor shouted, and the room felt like it was shaking. Mickey, who was a little behind in all of this, just watched. “I made a choice.” 

“Yes,” the Master said, his voice low. “Yes you did.” The Doctor let go of Rose’s hand and moved toward him, his fury radiating off of him. The Master just smiled. “Oh, hush now.” 

The Doctor stared at him. “So, what, then?” he asked. “You escape, you come here….Did you know it was the wrong universe? Have you been...looking for me?” 

“Oh you’re ego has always been so large,” the Master said. “This world is better than yours. Than hers.” 

“Don’t look at her,” the Doctor said, his face lined in anger. His voice was still low, still dark and calculated, and the Master just smiled again. “What’s all this for?” 

“I’m just trying to make a business deal,” he said slyly. The Doctor shook his head. 

“No...you’re still communicating with Harold. Maybe Matt...Maybe both. You told them about Gallifrey, didn’t you? You’re plotting something,” he said. The Master just looked at him, his beady eyes tracing his jaw, then his brow, then his cheeks. 

“It’s a pretty face. Did you choose it for her?” he asked. The Doctor threw him against the wall, and he just laughed. 

“Doctor, stop,” Rose said, and he felt her hand on his back. He let go, and the Master slid to the ground, recovering his breath for a moment. 

“The Lonely God,” he whispered. Both the Doctor and Rose stiffened, their suspicions confirmed. “All will be revealed.” 

“Don’t do that,” the Doctor said. “None of that cryptic Time Lord bullshit. Not now. Tell me.” 

“Oh, but Doctor...where’s the fun in that?” he said, standing back up. 

The Doctor was still staring, and Rose bit her lip. “Let’s go,” she whispered. The Doctor didn’t move. “Doctor, he’s not going to say anything. He gave you the blueprint, that’s all we’re going to get. Let’s go.” 

“Such a smart pet,” the Master said, and something in the Doctor snapped. 

Hundreds of years of friendship and betrayal. The pain when he thought his best friend had died. The fact that he didn’t, but fled rather than help, and that, after all this time, he wasn’t the Last of the Time Lords, bleeding with the fact that didn’t make him feel better, but worse, seemed to come to a boil in his chest. 

And the way the Master looked at Rose, like she was prize he was playing for, brought a fury out of him and he lunged. 

The Master was pinned to the ground, his irritating laughter still echoing in the hall. The Doctor was shouting, and Rose grabbed him and tried to pull him back. “Mickey, help me!” she shouted, and Mickey bolted over, grabbing the Doctor’s other arm as they tried to pull him back. 

_Let go. Now._

Her voice in his head snapped him out of it, and he collapsed onto the ground with a gasp. She was staring at him, and the Master sat up slowly, adjusting the collar of his shirt, catching his breath again, too. 

For a moment, as they looked at each other, they were two young boys on the Gallifreyan mountainside, and both of them clenched their jaws. 

“Are you going to save the universe, Doctor? Or destroy it?” the Master asked calmly. Then he stood, and ignored Rose and Mickey as he walked away, disappearing down the other side of the hallway. 

He sat frozen in place as Rose’s hand was still on his shoulder. Mickey had let go, but he was sitting next to him, too. After a moment, Rose let out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding, and stood up. Mickey followed. 

“He’s using the rift to talk to them, yeah?” she asked. The Doctor just stared ahead, and her eyes glanced at Mickey. “Doctor!” 

He still stared, and she knelt down in front of him, saying his name in Gallifreyan in his head. 

That worked. 

“What?” he asked, not having heard her question. His mind was spinning, and she realized his blocks had naturally gone up, the way they do when he thinks too hard. 

“The rift. Is that what he’s using to communicate with Ridgemont Entities?” she whispered. He just nodded. 

“Yeah, he needs it open. Otherwise the walls close, and…” he said, and he sighed. Rose just grabbed his hand. 

“Then let’s close it. Then we take them down on the other side. Lock him in here,” she said. “Forever.” 

He looked at her, and felt his throat tighten as she helped him stand up. He hugged her, and Mickey noticed it seemed like he was trying not to cry. 

“You alright, Doctor?” Mickey asked. He just sighed. 

“We have to take a bloody airplane back to Norway,” he said, and Mickey shook his head. 

“What day?” he asked. 

“Today,” Rose said. “Dårling Ulv Stranden…” 

“Hold my hands,” Mickey said, and they did. He pressed a jumper around his neck, and for a moment it felt like everything was condensing around them. The air, the light, the atoms in their body were twisting and spinning. It was a sensation Rose had felt before, when the Doctor tried to send her away in the blue jumper she threw away, and as soon as it began it ended. 

The TARDIS rested a few hundred meters before them. 

Rose hugged Mickey, and the Doctor muttered a thank you as they walked to the ship. He let out a long breath of relief when she opened her doors. 

The word destiny rang in the back of his mind. 

He was at the console, quickly checking to make sure she was okay. Rose was watching from the ramp, and Mickey was standing next to her. 

“What are you going to do now?” Rose whispered, looking at him. He just shrugged. 

“Maybe...I could come back with you?” he asked, and the Doctor stopped his work, staring at Mickey from the console. Rose’s mouth fell open. 

“What?” she asked. Mickey just shrugged again. 

“Pretty sure I lost my job today. My Gran...she passed last year. Don’t have very much in this world, really….So, I thought -” he began, and Rose threw her arms around him. 

“Of course you can!” she exclaimed, and the Doctor smiled. Despite the torment he was feeling, this made him happy. 

“Welcome back,” he said, and Mickey nodded at him as he returned to the console. 

It took longer than he wanted it to for the Doctor to feel confident the TARDIS was ready to fly back into the Vortex and cross universes again, and in that time Rose and Mickey were catching up. She told him about Tony, he told her about a few rather harrowing missions he had been on, and she told him tiny bits of Atlantis, but not all of it. 

Ex-lover and all. 

Suddenly, the TARDIS communications com made a loud sound, and the voice of Jack Harness rang through the speakers. 

“Doc?!” he shouted. Rose stood immediately, followed by Mickey, and they all gathered around the screen. “Doc, you there?! I’ve been trying to reach you!” 

“Sorry, we’re here,” he said, turning their screen on. 

“Hello! Finally!” he sang, “Look, we found the rift -” 

“Yeah,” the Doctor said. “Thought you might.” 

“It was weird, it just came out of nowhere. A supernova near Andromeda, it just started to burn and then boom, there it was. It’s massive. We’ve been trying to close it but when I couldn’t reach you I told Gwen to wait and -” Jack said, and Rose piped in. 

“It was us! We didn’t mean to, but somehow we fell through, must have expanded when we did,” Rose said. “We’re in the parallel universe now, we have to get out.” 

Jack opened his mouth to say something, when he spotted Mickey standing behind Rose. “Is that Mickey Mouse?!” 

“Captain Cheesecake!” he shouted, and they both started to laugh. “Blimey, it’s good to see you.” 

“Aw, thanks, babe,” Jack said with a wink. “I can’t hold Gwen off forever, Doc, are you able to fly out?” 

“Yeah, hold on,” he said. For the next few moments, the Doctor worked to start the TARDIS and Jack worked to hold the rift open. “Where are you? We’ll come to you!” 

“I’m on the planet, here…” Jack said, and sent the Doctor the exact coordinates. He punched them in, and looked at Rose. 

“Let’s go home,” he said with a small smile, and she held onto the console as he pulled the lever. 

The TARDIS was thrilled to be leaving, and she didn’t put up much of a fight this time. As soon as they were in the Vortex, Jack and the Doctor were talking again, trying to speed up the closing of the rift with electricity, and the Doctor was groaning. 

“It’s not working!” he yelled. “Is that all the power you have?” 

“That’s it, Doc. Gwen is working from the Cardiff rift. We can wait it out,” he said. 

“He might try to escape...” Rose murmured, thinking. “Jack? Do you trust me?” 

“Course I do, why?” he asked. 

“I need you to pull Gwen back out, get everyone here away from the rift, I’m gonna do something!” Rose said. Her eyes locked with the Doctor’s. 

“What do you say we live a little?” she asked, and flashed him her plan. He grinned. 

Instincts. 

“God, I love you,” he said. She smiled. 

“Done,” Jack said. “What’re you going to do?” 

Rose didn’t answer him, but she moved to the controls the Doctor was by. “Mickey?” she asked. 

“Yeah?” he said. 

“Close your eyes,” she said, and touched the coral on the TARDIS. The Doctor, who knew which controls would help best, began to twist knobs and punch buttons, shouting. 

Jack watched from the ground on Andromeda and began to smile, knowing somewhere in the Vortex their glowing goddess was shining as two supernovas began to burn, falling away like ships in the night, and he saw a spark of light pierce the sky. 

Time. 

Rose’s energy pushed away from the TARDIS in a similar way to the black hole all those months ago, and she started to scream. She felt the light begin to heat up inside of her, a sensation that didn’t usually happen and the Doctor felt himself grow weary and anxious, but he kept pulling the level down, his eyes glued to her, until suddenly it all ended. The spin of time halted, and they were safe.

They collapsed on the ground, panting. 

Mickey, who had ducked and covered himself under his arm, peeked up now, and ran to both of them. 

“What the - how did - are you okay?!” he asked. Just then the blue doors burst open, and Jack stood in the arch. 

“They alright?” he asked, and he was at Mickey’s side, helping pull the Doctor and Rose up to seated positions. 

They started laughing. Jack and Mickey stared for a moment, as it seemed like the couple might have lost their marbles a bit. It started small, and grew in intensity until it as a wild roar, and they held each other close, laughing so hard tears began to stream down their cheeks a little, and the Doctor kissed her. 

“How’s your head?” he asked, still a little breathless. She smiled. 

“It’s great,” she said. “I love you.” 

“Get over here,” he demanded, and he kissed her again, completely forgetting Jack and Mickey were there. He dipped his tongue into her mouth and pulled her body closer, his hand tugging on her hair a little as she moaned, and he lowered her onto the grating. 

His hands began to explore, and even Jack knew it was...a lot. 

“Okay, whoa!” he said, standing up and backing away from them, a wide smile on his face. Mickey just grimaced and turned around, walking to the other side of the room. “AY! Lovebirds!” 

They separated, lust lined in their eyes as they stood up, and held hands. 

_More of that, later, yeah?_

_Oh, yes…_

Their eyes danced with each other, and they smiled. The Doctor pulled his hand out of hers and found his pockets, trying to calm down as he looked at Jack and Mickey. 

“Thank you both,” he said. Jack just nodded, and laughed. 

They were able to get a handle on their hormones, and the Doctor ensured everything was as it should be, the rift successfully closed, before he took the TARDIS back to the Vortex, where the gentle spin of time pulsed under their feet. And for this moment, the Doctor chose not to think and just marveled at a sight he’d never thought he’d see. 

The old team was standing in the galley again, eating junk food. 

Mickey, Jack, him, and Rose. 

Rose. 

She was laughing so hard her face had stayed red for minutes. The air became joyous and fun, and he just watched her, noticing how much lighter the weight on his hearts felt knowing the rift was closed, and she was safe. 

Her laughter brought goosebumps to his arms. 

He found himself entirely overwhelmed. He smiled absentmindedly every once in a while, but mostly he just watched Rose, and he knew he was feeling too many things to begin to process any of it at the moment. He let himself have fun with their friends, until Mickey and Jack both headed to bed. 

Rose looked at him, then, and her tongue darted to the corner of her mouth. 

“Speaking of bed…” she said, but he just stared at her, and took her hand. 

“In a bit. Come with me,” he whispered, and moved to the console, shifting their location in the Vortex for a moment before he led her to the door. 

The rosebud nebula, the real one, sat before them, it’s pink light welcoming and soft, and Rose just stared at it. The Doctor sat on the edge of the door, his feet dangling over the edge into space itself, and Rose bit her lip. 

“Is that...safe?” she asked. He just smiled at her. 

“Wanna find out?” he said, and she just laughed a little and sat next to him, aware he wouldn’t be doing it if it wasn’t. She leaned her head on his shoulder, staring at the nebula, and he kissed her head. 

“It’s gorgeous,” she whispered. 

“When you were gone, I did this a lot. I would talk to you,” he said. 

“Yeah?” she asked. He just nodded. 

“I told you about trips I took. How stupid I was without you, and I was, Rose...quite stupid,” he said, winking a little at her. She just kissed his hand and looked back at the nebula. “But...now I know. You were supposed to be there.” 

“Fixed point,” she whispered, and he just nodded. 

“Yeah,” he murmured. “Not just when I thought, too...it’s been a million little things all leading up the big one.” 

“What?” she asked. He sighed. 

“Going back and getting you, that’s the main fixed point. At least, I think it is. But...there’s others. So was taking your hand that very first time... So was the war. So was destroying Cybus Industries. So was throwing that pin that ocean all those centuries ago. So was...” he whispered, breaking off. “Everything.” 

“What?” she said, smiling up at him. 

“That’s what I realized today. When I saw him there. He reminded me of what I could have been, but...I’m not. Because I made a choice not to be like him. And because of that choice...everything I’ve ever done has all been leading to...a perfect, pink and yellow human,” he murmured. 

She kissed him, and her head once again rested on his shoulder. “Who was he?” 

He sighed, and just shook his head. “Can I show you?” 

She nodded, and felt a wave of warmth wash over her as he sent her a flurry of memories. His childhood, and all the ways it mixed with the Master, all the fun they had, the games they played. Rassilon, choosing the Master from the crowd at such a young age, breeding him to fight. Deeming him ‘proper.’ 

She saw the death of Alice, the birth of the Doctor’s regenerations, and the way the Master was there for all of it, but he was no longer that smiling boy. He was a warrior, stoic and dangerous and dark, and she saw the rifts it caused their friendship. The Doctor told him he could get out, that he didn’t have to do Rassilon’s bidding, and he spat at him. 

He started to knock four times. A ringing in his head that he manifested with drums. 

She saw the pain, felt the betrayal, and suddenly the Doctor had to make a choice, and the choice was going against his friend. And that choice, she realized, is what he meant. It was the beginning of what led him to her…Good versus evil. He stopped him each time, digging the rift between them as deep as it could go. 

But she felt the longing. The hope, the small voice in the back of his mind that was begging the Master to change, to break free… 

Then he died. A proper death, with no regeneration. An act of battle. Some other Time Lord scuffle in the stars, and she felt the overwhelming heartache the Doctor felt, the mourning… 

She gasped as the memories disappeared, and he stared at her. “Oh, Doctor…” 

“Yep,” he croaked, and felt her wrap her arms around him. He closed his eyes for a moment, and she didn’t know what to say. “It’s alright. He’s been gone in my mind for a very long time.” 

“But he’s not gone,” Rose whispered. 

“He is,” he said. “The walls are closed. He’s trapped. That's as good as gone. And this time it's for good. I didn’t get it all last time, apparently I wasn’t supposed to...but now...well...” 

She knew that was true. Instincts. She knew back in that hallway, that whatever they did today would be permanent. She sighed and wrapped her arms around his waist, breathing him in as they stared out at the pink nebula, the abyss of it seeming to never end. 

“We have to find the gem, and the chamber, and stop Harold, and -” he started to say, but Rose pressed her hand to his chest, silencing him. 

“Fingers on lips,” she whispered, her own lips millimeters from his. “We fell into the parallel world today. And made it back out. Together. That’s a win, that’s all the winning or timeline solving I want to think about right now.” 

He looked at her, and she shifted on the grating, moving to straddle him so she was illuminated by the nebula, a soft pink glow highlighting her frame, and he felt every ounce of his ability to think or speak leave him. He just began to touch her. First, her cheeks, brushing his thumbs along her jawbone. Then her neck, her collarbone, her chest. His fingers lightly traced every inch of her, and she leaned in, kissing him softly. He moaned at the sensation, and she smiled against his lips, and laid him down, rolling away from the door just a little. 

The TARDIS knew her plan, and she kept the door open, locking Jack’s and Mickey’s just in case, and Rose unzipped her jacket and threw it across the room. 

“What are you doing?” he said, and she responded with another kiss. He moaned again, more desperately than before, and began to pull at the bottom of her tank top, lifting it over her head, her sports bra reflecting the stars. 

She rolled over again, her back against the grating as he peeled himself out of his own restrictive clothing, and captured her lips in a dazzling kiss. They played their game, rolling around trying to see who would wind up in control, a mess of kisses and limps, panting each other names and until Rose had him where she wanted him, where he could watch her and see the nebula, and she began to move with him, biting her lip to stop from screaming. 

He felt his soul leave his body. She was breathtaking, and he couldn’t pay attention to the nebula at all. He cursed in Gallifreyan at the sight of her, naked and shining, and their minds opened like a dam breaking, so many feelings and so much love washing over them both it caused them to still their movements and have to catch their breath. He began to kiss her again, slowly on her stomach as she wiped away tears, but he knew they were happy and he didn’t allow himself to dwell on anything, nothing mattered to him at all except the feeling of her in his arms. 

“I love you,” she said, whispering in Gallifreyan, and he said it back. 

She couldn’t stop her scream as they collided, and it made the Doctor growl her name and grip her closer, and she pressed her entire body to his, their arms wrapped around each other, both still finding ways to plant small kisses on their skin. 

“My Doctor,” she murmured, and he smiled. He felt her shift off him after a few minutes, and she glanced back at the nebula, taking a deep breath. “Why’ve we never done that before?” 

He just laughed, and sat up as well, noticing they both had imprints of the grating on their skin, and he rubbed her leg, trying to smooth it out. “Probably ‘cause of that,” he teased, and she just flashed him her tongue in cheek smile. 

“Come on, then,” she said, standing up, balancing against the railing for a moment while her legs remembered how to bear weight. He grabbed her hand, and they moved to their bedroom. The TARDIS shut the door, but the nebula kept watch over them as they slept. 

He dreamt of Rose and orange sunsets.

**Author's Note:**

> Added this song to my writing playlist, wanted to tell you too - it BREAKS MY HEART. "Superhero" by Lauv. Give it a listen and have some feels.


End file.
